Christmas Sweets

It's time for an E mail about sweets.... I was thinking (a dangerous proposition for me sometimes) this morning about traditional Christmas foods. Every holiday has certain food liked with it, perhaps because the food is an invention of the holiday or because a large number of people enjoy that food at the time of the holiday. Last night, after seeing a cooking show about the traditional Yule log, I thought about favorite food of Christmas. Here is my list of what I think are the top 5 sweets eaten in the U.S. at Christmas time.
1) Christmas cookies- I think these came about in Medieval recipes, in particular the German gingerbread cookie. That cookie is probably the favored one at Christmas time. But the sugar cookie (Jane and I make and decorate those every year at Christmas time) that is decorated and shaped in Christmas time is the most popular one.
2) Fruitcake- The standard joke is that no one really likes fruitcakes, but that they are eaten because of tradition, and that there are only about 10 fruitcake sin existence that pass from one person to another since no one likes eating them. But there are good ones (they have little flour and mostly fruit) and many cheap ones that are unfriendly to the palate. The fruitcake started in England (no wonder it is said that the world's worst cooks are English) and is now obligatory at Christmas tables. If you get a good one, thank the fruitcake Gods above. Most are not very good. 3) Buche de Noel- This is the French contribution (who said the French were useless!) to Christmas eating and ne everyone loves. These log shaped sponge cakes filled with cream, jam, or marzipan and covered in rich chocolate butter cream could definitely delay Santa if left under the tree.
4) Candy Canes- originally these were for wealthy people as sugar was so expensive when the candy cane was invented. The most popular theory of the coming of candy canes is that a German choirmaster bent peppermint flavored sticks into the shape of a shepherds staff and gave them to the children in his choir in order to keep them quiet between songs during the long choir sessions. Give me one and even I may shut up. They are a sweet no one can resist.
5) Pannetone and Stollen- These are the most popular christmas cakes, the former from Italy and the latter a German treat. Both are filled with raisons and fruit, but there are differences i the denseness of each and whether they are filed or coated with an icing. The Pannetone is the favorite of those who don't like their desserts too sweet. Stollen is for sweet addicts. But wait! I can't forget my least favorite drink. The noble eggnog, not really a sweet, deserves mention too. But how can anyone drink the stuff? After all it is nothing more than a implausible combination of egg yolks, beaten egg whites, milk, cream, sugar, vanilla and brandy or rum. Hmmmmmmmmm I refuse to drink a toast to eggnog.